Reaction to the Republican Presidential Debate

When a debate opens with a candidate suggesting he has a large penis, it’s not going to be a normal night.

Donald Trump and Marco Rubio attacked each other in the harshest terms yet. Trump referred to “Little Marco” while defending the size of his hands and what that might imply about his manhood. It was perhaps the most embarrassing exchange in the history of presidential debates.

That said, poor debate performances haven’t hurt Trump much in the past. The American people are outraged at politicians and he might be able to say anything. It’s hard to debate him because he just denies past statements, even if he just made them. Trump may be winning because he’s the only non-politician on the stage.

Rubio sounded like he had a cold and definitely wasn’t on his game. He continued to suggest Trump was nothing more than a “con man” who would defraud the American people. But his desperate desire to take down Trump at all costs distracted him. It was not an impressive performance.

Ted Cruz had a stronger debate and landed more punches. His game plan was to attack Trump for his campaign contributions to Democrats and did it repeatedly and effectively. Interestingly, Trump generally ignored Cruz while dismissing him as “Lyin’ Ted.”

John Kasich was the clear winner because he stayed out of the mud fight. He was the only candidate who talked solely about the issues and the concerns of voters. He was the only candidate who acted presidential.

Overall, the debate was another mess. The crowd sounded like a bunch of angry goons. If you’re waiting for the Republican convention to see the GOP fall apart, you don’t need to wait any more. It happened tonight. It was a national embarrassment.

On a more positive note, the Fox News moderators were outstanding. They asked tough questions and held each candidate accountable — sometimes in real time — for their statements. It was a rough debate to moderate but they did a great job.